Apocalypse
02-10-2011, 09:38 AM
Black SC lawmaker: Immigrants are hardest workers
By Seanna Adcox, Associated Press Tue Feb 8, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – An African-American lawmaker in South Carolina said Tuesday that stricter illegal immigration laws would hurt the state because blacks and whites don’t work as hard as Hispanics.
State Sen. Robert Ford made his remarks during a Senate committee debate over an Arizona-style immigration law, eliciting a smattering of nervous laughter in the chamber after he said "brothers" don’t work as hard as Mexicans. He continued that his "blue-eyed brothers" don’t either.
Once his ancestors were freed from slavery, he said, they didn’t want to do any more hard work, so they were replaced by Chinese and Japanese.
"We need these workers here. A lot of people aren’t going to do certain type of work in this country," said Ford, D-Charleston. "The brothers are going to find ways to take a break. Ever since this country was built, we’ve had somebody do the work for us."
He recalled to senators that four workers in the country illegally showed up on his lawn and finished mowing, edging and other work in 30 minutes that would take others much longer, and only wanted $10 for the job. He went on to say he recommended the workers to his neighbors, and one local lawn care businessman lost work — a story one senator remarked was hurting, not helping, his case.
The executive director of the state GOP called on Ford to apologize.
"It’s abhorrent and incredibly offensive that any elected official would make comments this racist," said executive director Joel Sawyer.
Ford, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination last year, said he’d apologize, but he doesn’t know what for, or what it would change.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110209/ap_on_re_us/us_black_lawmaker_immigration_4
By Seanna Adcox, Associated Press Tue Feb 8, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – An African-American lawmaker in South Carolina said Tuesday that stricter illegal immigration laws would hurt the state because blacks and whites don’t work as hard as Hispanics.
State Sen. Robert Ford made his remarks during a Senate committee debate over an Arizona-style immigration law, eliciting a smattering of nervous laughter in the chamber after he said "brothers" don’t work as hard as Mexicans. He continued that his "blue-eyed brothers" don’t either.
Once his ancestors were freed from slavery, he said, they didn’t want to do any more hard work, so they were replaced by Chinese and Japanese.
"We need these workers here. A lot of people aren’t going to do certain type of work in this country," said Ford, D-Charleston. "The brothers are going to find ways to take a break. Ever since this country was built, we’ve had somebody do the work for us."
He recalled to senators that four workers in the country illegally showed up on his lawn and finished mowing, edging and other work in 30 minutes that would take others much longer, and only wanted $10 for the job. He went on to say he recommended the workers to his neighbors, and one local lawn care businessman lost work — a story one senator remarked was hurting, not helping, his case.
The executive director of the state GOP called on Ford to apologize.
"It’s abhorrent and incredibly offensive that any elected official would make comments this racist," said executive director Joel Sawyer.
Ford, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination last year, said he’d apologize, but he doesn’t know what for, or what it would change.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110209/ap_on_re_us/us_black_lawmaker_immigration_4